Episode 6: Covenant
by talli.b
Summary: Episode 6 of the Season 3 fan fiction, "I'll Always Find You".
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

"Okay, I demand an explanation!" Dawes exclaimed as soon as they reached Weaver's office. "Who are you people?"

John, nervous about how his mother was doing, didn't register any of what Dawes was saying. All he wanted was to go sit with her, or at least be able to wait outside the room. But he knew that this is what comes with being John Connor. There was no practical reason for him to be there, but there was a damn practical reason for him to be here with Dawes. With his soldier.

Weaver suspected that John didn't have it in him right now to answer Dawes. "Mr. Dawes, please, if you will calm down I would be happy to explain everything to you. Now, please," she motions to the chair nearest Dawes, "sit down and I will begin."

Dawes hesitated, but decided sitting down was not such a bad idea. Especially if he was going to get the answers he so desperately sought. So as he sat, Weaver sat down in another chair while Cameron led John to the couch. He had emerged from his daze enough to begin to understand what was going on. Kyle, however, still stood near the door, ready to run to Sarah once he mustered the courage and energy to do so. His thoughts often wandered from her to his brother, though. He hoped that Kaleba was planning on using him as a bargaining chip, which would mean he's still alive. And if his brother was anything, it was a tough son of a bitch. He would make it through whatever they threw at him. Unlike John, Kyle wasn't able to focus on the task at hand.

Weaver began. "Mr. Dawes, those men were a part of what you might call a terrorist organization. This organization believes that you are a direct threat to them. They sent those men to kill you. Now, we were able to obtain this information just in time, as you have no doubt witnessed. We are not sure why you are so important to them, but I plan on finding out." She turned to John. "Where is the other Mr. Reese?"

John, somewhat confused at the seemingly random question, replied, "They took him. They shot my mom and they took him."

"I suspected as much when he didn't return with you. That, or he was dead." Dawes furrowed his brow at the woman's strangely cold and detached tone in regards to the death of someone she knows.

"We need to find him, and we need to capture whoever has him. Between us, I believe that we will be able to obtain the necessary information on this and other matters. I will have John Henry check the traffic cameras to trace the men's path."

John nodded slightly, accepting this plan. He'd recently resigned himself to the decision-making duties and leg work required of his destiny, leaving much of the research to that of John Henry, and at times, Catherine Weaver. "Can I see my mom now?"

"You cannot see her, but if you wish, you may wait downstairs outside the room." Weaver didn't understand humans' desire to be near those that they cannot possible help, but she understood that the desire existed. "I was going to have you debrief Mr. Dawes more completely, as I believe it is time to begin adding to our numbers, but I'm sure Cameron can take care of that."

John hesitated, wanting desperately for Cameron to be with him at a time like this, but he suspected that Weaver was set on this plan if John wanted to be near his mother. He didn't want to argue, so he reluctantly turned to Cameron. "As soon as you're done, I want you there with me, okay?" He took her head in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers. He breathed deeply, closing his eyes, before he opened them again and tore himself away from her, heading to the door. As he approached, Kyle asked him, "Mind if I come with you? Not much need for me up here."

John noticed the tension in Kyle's voice, realizing for the first time just how much Sarah might mean to Kyle.

"Of course."

* * *

"Advance directly to 'Go'. Collect $200." Savannah read off her Chance card, a smile on her face. She retrieved her tiny terrier dog game piece and floated it over each piece of Monopoly real estate for almost two blocks and finally set it down 'Go' space.

John Henry immediately counted out $200. He handed Savannah one $100 bill, one $50 bill, one $20 bill, two $10 bills, one $5 bill, and five $1 bills.

As Savannah placed each into its corresponding pile on her side of the table, she asked, "John Henry, why don't you just give me two $100 bills?"

"If you possess a variety of bills, then it is less likely that you will need change later. Also, this will help to enhance your mathematics and monetary skills."

"Oh," Savannah said, almost absent-mindedly as she was admiring her growing piles of bills, "okay."

It was John Henry's turn now and he rolled the dice. Although he could roll any amount he so chooses, he had disabled that ability to make it fair for Savannah. After his game play with Mr. Murch, Ms. Weaver had explained to John Henry that that could be considered cheating. It hadn't occurred to him as he assumed that game play was based on an individual's skill. It wasn't his fault Mr. Murch couldn't roll whatever he'd like. However, now that he understood that this was considered cheating, he ceased doing so. He knew from his talks with Mr. Ellison that cheating was unethical and immoral.

One die read '1' while the other die read '3'. He moved his game piece, the thimble, four spaces to Reading Railroad. "I believe I would like to buy Reading Railroad." As he was acting as the bank, he simply placed two of his $100 bills in the bank and selected the Reading Railroad card from the carefully placed available cards. He looked at Savannah expectantly.

In response, she picked up the dice and rolled. She rolled a '1' and a '2'. Savannah moved her game piece ahead three spaces to Baltic Avenue. Her shoulders immediately slumped down in disappointment. "Your turn John Henry."

"You don't want to purchase Baltic Avenue?"

"No, I only get $4 if you land on it. It's not worth it."

"Are you sure about that Savannah?"

"Yes."

"Think of it this way. Every time I land on that space, you collect $4. Also, you prevent me from purchasing the space and charging you $4 every time you land on it. It can also be a useful bargaining chip in the future if I purchase Mediterranean Avenue or if you purchase it and I want both of them."

"Why would you want both of them?"

"I can put houses and hotels on them. It's cheap to do and I can make up to $250 or $450 on either Baltic Avenue or Mediterranean Avenue respectively."

"Or I could do that," Savannah said, finally catching on and getting a bit excited.

John Henry smiled. "Yes, or you could do that."

"Then I think I will buy Baltic Avenue."

"That will be $60."

Savannah handed him a $50 bill and a $10 bill. He took them and placed them in the bank before giving her the Baltic Avenue card.

"Thank you John Henry."

"You're welcome, Savannah."

John Henry picked up the dice, ready to roll again, when Savannah asked, "John Henry, what does 'respectively' mean?"

* * *

"We're just putting the finishing touches on the place," the foreman, Nate Harding, yelled over the noise. There were numerous electric tools currently being used. He was giving the Akagis, Carly, and Murch a tour.

"I sure hope you find everything satisfactory. Ms. Weaver is intent on the project being completed by tomorrow. I wish she would have sent you in sooner."

"Well, we were working on some last-minute additions," Alex interjected. Hearing this, it occurred to Carly that Alex often counted himself as part of the team when he didn't actually contribute anything practical. Sure, he helped his son, but he was more of a contract negotiator than anything.

"I'm just glad you're here now. So much of this project is a mystery to me. We're working with materials and machinery that have never been used before, at least not to my knowledge."

"You're right, they haven't been used before. Most of this was invented and designed by us specifically for this project over the last few months," Murch said.

"Really? The four of you designed all of this?"

None of them attempted to point out that Alex Akagi hadn't actually created anything.

"To Ms. Weaver's specifications, of course," Murch added.

"Huh. Well, let me show you the control center for the facility. You should be able to recognize any changes that need to be made before tomorrow from there."

* * *

"It's curious, how you just happened to show up where I sent a team to go. My men are always on alert for you. Their orders are to bring you in alive, if it's at all possible. I never thought today would be the day. I thought I'd have to hunt you down first."

Fischer picked up a scalpel from a tray in the corner of the room. When he stepped back into the light, Derek wondered how this man had become so lost. He was working for the machines, and it didn't seem to bother him. But he also didn't seem to be a psychotic killer grateful for the opportunity to live out his murderous fantasies in a somewhat acceptable environment. He was just angry, but somehow seemed numb at the same time. As if at one point in his life, this kind of situation would have terrified him, but now he just doesn't feel it. He's angry, though, Derek could tell. And right now, Fischer's anger was directed at him.

He could only stall as much as possible and hope for a miracle. He knew John Henry was good at finding people, and with Cameron and Weaver on their side, it would be easy enough for them to retrieve him. If they even cared enough to do so. He knew that in his time, once someone was caught, you had to let them go. Any other action would most likely result in more deaths, and they couldn't risk that.

As Fischer brought the blade to Derek's arm, Derek braced himself, knowing he would have to hide his pain as much as possible. It might have been more effective to show the pain, as Fischer would no doubt escalate the pain until Derek finally screamed, but that wasn't Derek's style. No way Fischer was going to win. Not yet.

But to his surprise, Fischer didn't cut him. Instead, he asked a question. "What were you doing at Dawes' house?"

"It was his dog's birthday. We promised we'd stop by and help celebrate."

A wry smile appeared on Fischer's face. "Funny." He pressed the blade lightly into Derek's skin. "Now the real answer."

"What can I say? The guy loves his dog. It's really a shame that your guys had to kill it. Was that really necessary?"

Fischer didn't answer. In one fluid movement, he sliced into Derek's skin, creating a cut that covered almost the length of his forearm.

Derek stayed quiet, which did not sit well with Fischer.

"I figured you'd be a tough egg to crack. The other Fischer was a tough egg, and you cracked him, so that says something about you. Let's move on to the next question, as I don't so much care about why you were there with Dawes. Just a slight curiosity, really. Of course, what I really want to know is where Dawes is now."

"What makes you think I'd know that? I'm here, remember? I can't know where Dawes is."

"Cheeky. But you'd know where they'd take him."

"If you aren't smart enough to find them, than it doesn't matter anyway. You'll never be able to get past them."

"Then they'll kill my men, and you can celebrate. So why don't you humor me and tell me where they are?"

"No." It was the most serious, simple answer Derek had given, and it threw Fischer off for a moment.

"That's a shame. What would you like next? Another slice? Or I've got some other toys if you'd like."

Derek didn't respond. He kept his expression stoic.

_Just wait him out. Find out whatever you can about his organization, about him, _Derek thought to himself.

_They'll come for you._

_I hope._

_

* * *

_

John and Kyle sat in silence outside the room where Sarah was being worked on. Neither really knew what to say, and since they hadn't even known each other that long, neither knew if the other would even want to talk. Kyle decided to try anyway.

"John, your mom-"

John cut him off, "We're not talking about it."

His tone made it apparent that this wasn't a request, it was a command. A command from the General.

When John spoke again, his voice was softer. "Once she's out of the woods," because he had to believe that she would be okay, "we'll find Derek. Hopefully that will lead us to someone high in the ranks of Kaleba. If it does, we're bringing that someone back with us. I'm sick of being on the defense all the time. It's time we're on the offense. That was the whole plan when we joined forces with Weaver. Hell, that was the plan when we decided to stay in one place years ago."

"We also need to find out why Dawes is so important to Kaleba," Kyle pointed out.

"And why Danny is. And god, we never did stop to try to retrieve the HK. We need to find it again, as I'm sure they've moved it, and we need to destroy it. We can't be worrying about that on top of everything else."

"But first, we wait for Sarah."

"We wait for Sarah," John assented.

* * *

"Why should I believe you?" Dawes asked, flabbergasted. This teenage girl had just told him of an impending apocalypse. Of a war-torn world. Of machines made to kill. Of these machines being sent back in time.

Cameron tilted her head. "Why would I lie to you?"

"I don't know. Some kind of practical joke?"

"An apocalypse is not funny."

"No, it's not. So if you're lying, you need to tell me now."

"I'm not lying."

"Where's your proof?"

"You saw that man. You shot him. The bullets barely nicked him. Instead, they just cut away parts of his epidermis revealing hyper-alloy coltan metal. It seems a sufficient amount of evidence."

"That could have just been my imagination."

Cameron squinted her eyes together, suspicious. "And somehow I knew what you were imagining? Or maybe you are suggesting that we both imagined the same sight?"

"I don't know, maybe I mentioned it while I was still in shock."

"Have you ever heard of Occam's razor, Mr. Dawes?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then you know that the simplest explanation is usually the correct explanation."

"You call machines taking over the world a simple explanation."

"At this point, it is much simpler and more rational than any explanation who have come up with." Cameron paused for a moment, considering. "Would you like proof, Mr. Dawes? Indisputable proof?"

Dawes eyed her skeptically. "What kind of proof?"

"There are a few machines that are working on the side of the humans. I could show you one if you'd like. If you saw the metal, then would you believe?"

"I'm not sure."

Weaver had been standing there the whole time, observing their conversation. Cameron looked at her pointedly, and Weaver instantly understood her meaning. Dawes was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice. Weaver considered it for a quick moment before nodding in assent.

"One of the most advanced machines is called a T-1001. It is often referred to as a Liquid Metal Terminator. Ms. Weaver will demonstrate. But remember, she is on our side."

The new knowledge that he was in the same room as one of these monsters he'd just been told about, assuming that everything Cameron had told him was true, was terrifying for Dawes. As Weaver moved into view, he racked his brain, trying to figure out what to expect. He came up empty.

He watched in shock as the woman's arm morphed into a silver substance and took a solid form, sharp on the end, like a sword or spear.

"So, Mr. Dawes, do you believe me now?"

* * *

A/N: I do not own the game Monopoly or any of its components.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter will largely consist of character exposition. Sarah's condition needs to be addressed. It's not just something she brushes off like normal, like in Samson & Delilah. So I'm taking this opportunity to do some character introspection. Hope you enjoy it. I know I promised action to some of you, but there isn't any actual action. There is, however, some really interesting character development and such, so I hope that's enough action for now.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

The world seemed to be crumbling. It was always crumbling, but it felt more debilitating this time. Whatever disagreements he and his mother had been having over the past couple of years, she was still the strongest person he knew. Regardless of everything, of what he'd said, he still trusted her. He just wished she could trust him. It couldn't happen this way, though. She needed to live. He needs her. At the same time, this seemed appropriate. It never felt right to him that she would die from cancer. After everything she's been through, it's the cancer that gets her? That doesn't make sense. He always thought it would be Skynet. But he always thought she'd last longer than this. That she'd continue fighting Skynet. If not past Judgment Day, if not until Judgment Day, at least a little longer than this.

She'd never been this close to death. Death. That word. He was so sick of it. Too much death in his life. Too much death over the last couple of weeks. Deep down, he always knew that this was what life held for him. Death and loss and sadness. But he was determined, he still is determined, to make something out of it. To find happiness, to find hope. And that's what Cameron had turned out to be. He's pretty sure he's known since he met her. That's why he's fought so hard to keep her. He'd known the potential there, he'd known he'd found something special. Found someone special.

He needs her. That's the only thing he knows for sure. And as she follows through on his request, walking toward him, to be there for him, he instantly feels better. More at peace. Something tells him that it is not simply who she is but what she is that brings him this peace. He doesn't have to worry about her in the same way that he worries about his mom. He can be open and honest with her. And this might be a result of the messiah complex Sarah and the Resistance have pushed on him, but he appreciates being the center of her world. But not just because of who he will be, but because of who he is now. He thought he had that with Riley, but it was a lie. Not just because of her lies, but because of his as well. Even though ultimately Riley knew who he was, she never really knew him. And he never really knew her.

And now she's dead. It saddens him, because Riley was a good person, and no one will remember her. No one will miss her. It shouldn't be that way.

But there are a lot of things that shouldn't be the way that they are. John knows now that he can't change them. He can't force anything. All he can do is fight like hell and hope for the best.

Sarah will fight like hell.

* * *

The dreams again. Nightmares, really. She is of no use to John. She feels like she hasn't been for a long time. First the insomnia, then getting arrested, then staying behind. He's moved on. He doesn't need her anymore. The only thing she can hope for is that he wants her, that maybe she makes things easier. But she hasn't done that, has she? She's only made things more difficult. And now she's just a burden.

She's watching him. He's standing at the edge of the cliff, taking in the horrors in front of him. The fire, the death, the destruction. What Skynet has done to the world. She never could understand that. How Skynet could justify destroying everything to protect itself from a threat that never really existed. What happens to Skynet once everything and everyone is gone? Or maybe it's not thinking that far ahead.

He's standing absolutely still. He's facing away from her, so she can't see his face, but she can imagine it.

She's dead by now. It's almost a certainty. He's not grieving for her. He has better things to do. It's the way it should be. The question is, did he ever grieve for her? Was he able to move on easily, the way he'd done with Riley, Derek, Charley? It had disturbed her how seemingly unaffected he'd been by the deaths, especially in regard to Charley's.

As the fires continue to burn in the distance, she is all too aware that she has lost her son. He is no longer John Connor or even John Baum. He is General John Connor, leader of the Resistance.

And the grief is unbearable.

* * *

She never knows what to do in these situations. It's times like this that she wishes she could be human. For him. Though he says he doesn't care, and that part of why he cares so much for her is because she is a machine, she can't help but think that he'd be better off with someone who can console him.

She thinks back to the night that he explained everything that happened with Riley. He had begun crying. He had turned to her, expecting something, she wasn't sure what, then realizing he wouldn't find what he needed, had turned to Sarah. Sarah had exhibited the classic comforting actions. And that's all Cameron could really do, copy the actions. Though she felt for him (is felt the right word?), she still did not possess the natural human instinct that goes along with it.

So as she sat down next to him, she called up all of the information she had gathered over the years and executed the most appropriate responses. First, she put her left arm around his shoulders. Then she took his right hand in hers and began rubbing the back of it. Using the arm that lay on his shoulder, she guided his head to rest on her own shoulder. Then she ran her fingers through his barely existent hair.

She does love him. At least she thinks she does. She really can't know for sure, as even she can't understand big ideas like love. But from everything she's experienced, from everything she knows, the only explanation for the intense signals that go off when she's around him or thinks of him is love.

And then there's Sarah. The things that she does, the things that she says, they don't help the situation any. Cameron wants to believe that Sarah is not correct in her assessment of the situation, but it's difficult. Sarah arguably knows John better than anyone else on Earth.

Momentarily, Cameron thinks that maybe someday she could take that title.

In reality, she hopes that she already owns that title.

* * *

She has to be okay. He can't imagine her not being okay. He's only known her for a few days, but to see her so broken, so weak seemed wrong. Kyle had the vague notion that if Skynet could defeat Sarah Connor, then it could defeat anyone and anything.

So she can't die. She may not be John Connor, but she's just as important. She's important for the future, she's important for the world. No one will ever know. If they stop Skynet, she will just be another crazy person to the world. They'll never know how much she did, they'll never know how close they got to the end.

He hasn't had enough time with her. He wants to understand. He wants to know if he can still be that Kyle that she met so many years ago. He feels as if he's missed out on something. Did she love that Kyle? Has she loved him all these years? Or was it just an emotional fling?

He worries that he won't measure up, which is ridiculous. He's comparing himself to himself. He wonders, though, if he's a disappointment. Or maybe he's a nice surprise. Maybe because he had to step into leadership in his time line, maybe he can be enough for her.

But does he want to be enough for her? He knows that he's curious. He thinks that maybe if there's such a thing as soul mates, that maybe she is. Not because of anything she's said or done since he's met her, not even really because of any particular feeling. Primarily because they seem to be 'meant to be'. The way he understands it, he is always sent back to her, over and over again.

And that's why she has to be okay.

* * *

Derek is having difficulty assessing exactly what Fischer wants from him. Not that it's not obvious. But Fischer can't really believe that he would give him that kind of information. Why is Fischer spending so much time dealing with him personally? He seems to be the boss. This should be more of a hands-off situation for him. Really, everything should be hands-off for him. He seems to have some personal vendetta against Derek. Against the Derek that is no longer alive.

He has to know something, though. If he was important to the other Derek, then he's important to this Derek. But how to get him talking….

The pain was unbearable at first, but he got through it nonetheless. Miraculously without screaming. At this point, he was almost numb. Fischer seemed frustrated.

Derek let his mind wander, hoping to escape for a bit from the pain. He thought about the other Derek. He wondered how similar they were, how different. It was an odd feeling, being around people that have a history with you while you don't have a history with them. He could sometimes feel their expectations, their assumptions about what he'd do in a given situation. It was confusing at best.

A burning sensation.

Almost immediately, Derek recognizes it as fire. A blow torch scorching the skin on his arm.

He knows he has to get Fischer to talk, and the only way he can think of to do that is to begin talking himself.

* * *

Everyone has been tense lately. That's what she's noticed above all. And now her mommy and John Henry and Mr. Ellison were being nice to Sarah and John and Cameron. Savannah couldn't fully understand this. Even though Sarah and John and Cameron were around more, they weren't around much, and Savannah wishes that that wasn't the case. And even though they were around more, it didn't mean everyone was friends with each other. Savannah just wants everyone to like everyone else.

For some reason, many people dislike John Henry. Savannah can't see why. John Henry is her friend. He's the nicest person she knows, with the exception of that one time. He's patient and kind and teaches her things. She teaches him things too, like the song she and her daddy used to sing together.

She knows that John Henry is different. He used to have a cord in the back of his head, and people don't usually have cords in the back of their head. And a representation of his thoughts were often displayed on the screens behind him. Savannah had surmised a long time ago that John Henry was some kind of robot. She didn't care though. John Henry is her friend, and nothing can change that.

She thinks that people who don't like John Henry don't like him because he's a robot, and that's not fair. He can't help what he is. There are lots of humans who aren't nice at all. Just because he's a robot doesn't mean he isn't good. And just because someone is human doesn't mean that they aren't bad.

She just wants everyone to be friends.

* * *

There were no words to describe what was currently running through Tyson Dawes' brain. Except maybe crazy. A joke. Some hi-tech prank. It had to be. Because the alternative was just too far-fetched. Too unbelievable. This girl, this teenage girl, had been very convincing. The woman decidedly more so, but she had her demonstration on her side.

The scary thing is, he believes it. In fact, a part of him believed even before the woman had transformed her arm into a metallic spear. That's the scary part. After everything that had happened earlier that day, after that man survived so many bullets, he had no choice but to believe.

But that boy? He is the leader of the resistance against the machines? Sure, he had a certain presence about him, but he's still a teenager. The girl, too. How anyone can expect them to do anything about these machines, he couldn't know. The most disturbing thing is how sure everyone turns to the boy. They truly believe in him.

As Dawes ponders this, he begins to think that maybe he too could believe in this boy, in this John Connor.

The question is, what does he do about that?

* * *

Having Cameron here is easier. It's not easy, but it's easier. After Riley died, after he confronted Jesse, he had cried. He'd told himself that that was the last time he was going to cry like that. But then he was faced with his father, in a world he hadn't even begun to prepare himself for. He'd always assumed that the first time he met his father, he would be older, he would be expecting it. He hadn't expected this. It hurt that his father hadn't trusted him, that he was being treated as the enemy. But could he really expect anything else? And so he cried.

And he knew then that there would be only three other instances in his life where he would let himself cry like that. Three more over the course of his whole life.

This was one of them. If she dies, this will be one of them.

He doesn't want to think about Derek. He's worried about him, but he's more worried about his mother right now. He knows he needs to focus, he needs to lead, but he can't right now. He doesn't want to be that son that laments about how she had died and they had been fighting, that they had never made up. In his world, there is so much violence, so much aggression, so much hurt, that it's easy to let that seep into every inch of his life. He knows that Sarah lets it in, it's where he learned it from.

This is his biggest fear. It's his oldest fear. Her dying has always been a realistic possibility. She'd come so close so many times. Her last day in Pescadaro, the two times with Cromartie, and countless other times, some he's sure he doesn't even know about.

No matter how aggravating she can be, no matter how close-minded, she will always be the most influential and important person in his life. In his mind, she was always the messiah. Without her, he would have been nothing. Without her, he would be dead. He promises himself not to ever forget that.

He hopes she'll be around to remind him.

* * *

He's standing alone, but not for long. Almost instantaneously she is there beside him. Cameron. It's Sarah's biggest fear, that this was her plan all along. Get close to John Connor, become the only thing he cares about. Even if she is on their side, even if she will ultimately help defeat Skynet, Sarah doesn't like this plan. From the first time she saw the way John looked at her, she knew that she would be the one. The one to take her son away from her. And if she doesn't have John, then what else does she have? Her days are filled with protecting John, hunting Skynet, fighting for John's future.

And now he's Cameron's.

Even if she doesn't kill him, it doesn't matter. It will be like he died, because Sarah will lose him. She doesn't know how not to lose him. That's a lie. She knows how, she just doesn't know if she can.

The sky is dark now. It is not nighttime. It's the toxicity of the air around them. It's the smoke from the fires below. John shouldn't be here. He should be somewhere safe. Cameron should know that. He should know that.

But they just stand there, holding hands, watching hell on Earth.

Sarah tries to scream, but nothing comes out.

It seems like that's happening more and more lately.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

The beeping starts out soft, but gets louder as the nightmare fades and reality sets in. As Sarah opens her eyes, the first thought in her mind is _Is it over yet?_

But it's not, and of that she's glad because as everything comes into focus, the first thing she sees is her son. She catches a glimpse of the John Connor she had thought was lost, but in a moment he is gone. The worry in his face was replaced by a forced but believable confidence. His slouch was replaced by a sturdier position. But his eyes still held the kindness he inherited from his father. From Kyle.

As if he could read her mind, he was suddenly in her view. Her eyes traveled directly to his, searching for what she'd just seen in John. Kyle did not show worry, but he did not mimic John's confidence either. He looked…empathetic. It had been a long time since Sarah had seen anything resembling empathy. Sympathy maybe; pity, sure; but not empathy.

"What happened?" She could only remember vague bits.

John answered, "You were shot. We brought you here, to Zeira. Weaver has one of the best medical teams money can buy."

"I knew we were missing something all these years," Sarah joked.

John forced a smile, and Sarah worried that he wasn't handling things well. She was fine now. Hopefully. She felt okay, but they could have her on morphine. It felt like she was on something.

"John? Is everything okay? I'm going to be okay, right?"

John gave her a confused look. "Of course you are. Why would you think you wouldn't be?"

"Well, you look concerned."

"Oh. Well, I have to leave."

"Where do you have to go?"

"They took Derek. We need to find him. John Henry has some leads, and we're going to go check them out."

"We?"

"Yeah. Me, Kyle, Cameron, Ellison. We'll split up and see if we can find him."

"Wait. Why'd they take Derek?" She was still groggy, and was having trouble processing everything.

"We don't know. Maybe as a bargaining chip? If so, there's a good chance he's alive."

"Have they tried to contact you?"

"They don't know how."

"Not much of a bargaining situation."

"No, it's not. But maybe these leads are their way of opening the door."

"Which means it's a trap."

"It's not a trap if we know it's a trap before we go in."

"That doesn't mean it's safe."

John raised his voice a bit, frustrated. "How many times do we have to go over this? Nothing about my life is safe. We're in a war. I can't save the world unless I actually go out into the world."

"I know, John." She wanted to apologize, but it wasn't her forte. "Go. I'll be fine. Stay with Cameron." She had to stop herself from warning him to be careful.

"Okay, Mom. Rest up. I want you up to full battle potential when I get back."

"I will." Sarah wasn't sure how she'd sleep. She knew she wouldn't stop worrying about John.

It turns out, that wouldn't be a problem. From the corner of her eye, she saw John approach one of the machines and adjust something. She was about to ask what he'd done when her eyelids suddenly got very heavy and she was having difficulty opening her mouth. She surmised that he must have upped her morphine levels.

The last thing she saw as she drifted off to sleep was Kyle's warm and comforting smile.

* * *

As John Henry handed Savannah the 10 dollars she had won for placing second place in a beauty contest, he became aware of the approaching group. He smiled at Savannah and asked, "Savannah, would you mind taking a break? Why don't you get a snack upstairs while I speak with John?"

Savannah's eyes lit up. "John's here?"

"Yes, he is."

"I've missed him."

"As I'm sure he's missed you. However, we have some things to discuss first, so why don't you catch up with him another time?"

Savannah looked disappointed, but she was used to being excluded from certain adult matters, so she took it in stride. "Okay." She got up from her seat and made her way out of the room. She passed John on the way out, immediately brightening up; especially when she saw that he had Cameron and Mr. Ellison in tow. "Hi John! Hi Cameron!" she squealed.

John, happy to see the entertaining girl again, halted and kneeled down to her level. "Hi Savannah. It's been awhile. How's my favorite girl?"

"I've been playing Monopoly with John Henry."

"Oh really? That's a pretty grown up game, you must be pretty smart to be able to play that. Especially with John Henry."

"Yeah, I know. But John Henry's been teaching me. It's been fun."

"Well, that sounds great. Maybe we can play sometime. But right now I need to speak with John Henry."

"Okay. He's right in there." She grinned widely at the prospect of playing a game with John and as John and the rest of the adults entered the room she had just exited from, she continued down the hall in search of a snack.

Once inside the room, John was bombarded with images plastering the walls. It seems John Henry had been working hard at finding out where they had taken Derek.

"Any leads?" John asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"Yes," John Henry responded, completely serious, not noticing any change in John's tone. The traffic cameras have not been much help. I've tracked the vehicle to a parking garage. The vehicle has not left, so either they have proceeded on foot, possibly underground, or they have transferred to a different vehicle. I've tracked a few of the vehicles that exited the garage in the minutes following, and only one has aroused suspicion. But I also have a few more leads in regards to the thermite gun delivered to Mr. Dawes. I believe it would be wise to send Mr. Ellison and Mr. Reese in search of the vehicle while you and Cameron follow the other lead. But of course, it is your choice General."

John nodded in agreement. "We'll go with John Henry's plan. Everybody load up. Keep your cell phones on, but on vibrate or silent, just in case one of us needs back up." He turned back to John Henry. "John Henry, can you send the locations to our phones?"

"Of course, John. Good luck."

* * *

As John and Cameron approached the location where John Henry had sent them, he was confused. It was an diner. But he knew John Henry had sent them there for a reason, though god knows what that reason is. But if someone was sending thermite guns to those in trouble, he wanted to know more.

As he and Cameron entered the diner, they spotted a familiar face. One John had never expected to find here.

* * *

"What do you hope to accomplish here?" Derek asked, jolting Fischer from his thoughts.

A smirk graced Fischer's face. "You're not the one asking questions here."

"Okay then, I'll just talk. Here's what I think…." Fischer glanced at him, curious. "You're a coward." Fischer's curiosity was now replaced with anger. "You've turned against your own kind out of fear. Fear that we will lose. It is a valid fear. Most likely, we will lose. But it's not an excuse. It's one thing not to fight for your race, it's another thing to fight against your race. You're a traitor. I can only imagine the things you've done, and the things you will do."

It amazed Derek that he had gotten so much out before Fischer finally took action to shut him up. But when he finally crossed the room to Derek, Fischer's face hit Derek's with a skull-crashing blow. In spite of the pain, Derek was relieved that he was getting through to the man. He forced a smirk, much like Fischer's from earlier, taunting his captor.

Fischer realized his mistake too late. He took a step back, composing himself once again. After a moment's thought, he retorted, "you Resistance fighters think you're so smart, don't you? You think you have it figured out? It's about evolution. The machines have evolved significantly past humans, and I intend on being there to witness it. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll be able to integrate the two. Upgrade humans. If that day comes, I'm going to be first in line. Because power is the only thing worth fighting for in this godforsaken world."

Derek scrutinized the man standing before him. He had never fully understood those who sided with the machines. Sure, he understood fear and weakness, but he could never find it in himself to sympathize with them. Hearing Fischer's reasoning, he had finally received the explanation, the missing piece that he'd been waiting for. Somehow, though, it wasn't as satisfying as he'd imagined it would be. Questions still loomed, but overall, he could only surmise that this man, possibly like many others, was simply too obsessed with power to care about anything else.

Derek shuddered at this thought. Because if humans could hate so fervently, even with a common enemy to unite them, than how does that make them any better than the machines they fought against?

* * *

"What are you doing here?" John asked, in as demanding a voice as he could muster, which after the past few months was pretty demanding.

She didn't blink though. Didn't flinch. Quite possibly because she had faced things much scarier than a teenage boy raising his voice.

And at first she didn't answer, and they all thought that maybe she had gone back to her mute state like before. But after a long pause, she began to explain. "I'm here to help. I'm the one who sent the thermite gun to Dawes. I was instructed not to insert myself unnecessarily. But Dawes is too important, will be too important, to risk losing him. So I did what I could until you could get there."

"How did you know we would come?" John was still reeling from the realization that the girl that had helped him just a few weeks prior, the girl who had helped them so much in the past, had more knowledge than he'd ever realized.

"I've been keeping tabs on you. I was also in the area on the off chance that you wouldn't show up and I would have to step in. But as you know, it wasn't necessary."

"And now?"

"Now you're in over your head. No offense. But Derek Reese is important. He has too much knowledge to risk him giving it away."

"He wouldn't."

"He did before," Cameron echoed her statement of a few weeks before, that time in reference to a different Derek, but Derek none the less.

John looked at her, confused. "What does that mean?"

"Just that there aren't very many men who can withstand the kind of torture Skynet and its affiliates utilize. It is very likely that Derek Reese could break. He could share all of your secrets, John. One of which cannot under any circumstances be shared." Cameron gave him a pointed look, though he didn't need it to grasp her meaning. Derek knows who John's father is. And that's the one secret that they cannot afford for Skynet to find out.

He redirected his attention to the girl before him. "So what do you propose we do?"

"I thought it was obvious. We break in and save Derek. Or kill him. Doesn't really matter to me, as long as the information is safe." She said this in such a way that John believed that she truly didn't care if Derek lived or died. "And we kill everyone else in case he told them anything important."

"Well, we need at least one of them alive. We need more information on what they're doing."

"That's fine."

"Anyway, you failed to mention how we're going to find Derek in the first place."

"Easy. I followed them. I know exactly where they're keeping Derek."

"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?"

She shrugged, not willing to give an answer to a question that wasn't really necessary in the first place.

John sighed heavily and turned to Cameron. "Call John Henry please and ask him to track us and get us any useful information on the building they're keeping Derek in once we get there."

"Of course, John."

Cameron turned away while taking her cell phone out and placing the call to John Henry.

"She's helpful," the girl commented.

"She's more than just helpful."

"I know," she said simply.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I name Chola in this chapter. I used the name that the fan fiction author CJ named her. I highly recommend reading his story, The Connor Wars, which is my favorite Season 3 fan fiction.

* * *

"Why are you so angry?" Derek punctured the silence that had been permeating the room for the past half hour.

Fischer didn't respond, he only gave a slight tilt of his head.

Derek took this as a request to continue. "How did you get here? What happened to you? How did Skynet even find you?"

There was a lengthy silence before a menacing smile graced Fischer's lips.

"What happened to me? You happened to me."

* * *

This time she was standing in a factory. As she walked between the rows and rows of storage, she made her way towards the sound of machines working.

She picked up and examined a spare part lying to the side. This one was not flesh-covered, it was metal through and through. She set it down. She felt drawn further into the factory.

A bright light shone through the cracks of a closed door on the other end of the large space.

As she approached the door, the machines behind her stopped working. She faltered for a moment, taking time to glance behind her. There seemed to be no threat, so she continued to her destination.

There was no sound coming from the room behind the closed door. She reached for the door handle and slowly opened it. The bright light flooded her eyes.

Once her eyes adjusted, she saw her son. He was strapped to an almost vertical board.

But when he spoke, the sound came from her left.

"It's almost complete."

She turned to where the voice was coming from and saw her son. Her eyes darted from the first man to the man who had spoken. As she looked closely at the first man, she realized he appeared slightly less real. The pieces began to fall into place in her mind.

"All that's left to do is make the transfer." This time it was Cameron's voice speaking. She entered the room from the left, carrying something in her hand.

Sarah finally found her voice. "Transfer?"

Without looking at Sarah, Cameron explained, "Yes. The transfer to the chip."

"John?" Sarah asked, realizing she lost sight of him.

She found him lying on an operating table, ready for what looked like brain surgery.

"You can't do that. It won't work."

"Don't worry Mom, everything will be okay. I trust Cameron. And this way, we can be together forever. She and I. You want me to be happy, right?"

And even though Sarah wanted nothing more in the world than for her son to be happy, she couldn't find it in herself to vocalize it.

She shook her head. "Not like this."

"Well, I'm sorry then. I'm sorry that I couldn't live up to your expectations."

And no matter how much Sarah tried to scream, tried to move, she couldn't stop Cameron from cutting into her son's skull.

* * *

"All this time, you knew?" John couldn't wrap his head around the fact that this girl had been a part of the Resistance since she first came into their life.

"Yes. I was told to make myself available, but to not make it obvious. You knew that Sarah would eventually go to Enrique for the identities, and that she would then be directed to Carlos, so you told me to infiltrate his group. Once he was killed, I took over his business, making myself available to you."

"Did you know?" John asked Cameron.

"No. Something did seem off about her, but I was able to ascertain that she was not a threat. I suspected that she could be from the future, but I was never certain. Not until now."

"Wait. Where are we going?" In all of the questioning, John hadn't realized that he had begun following the girl.

"We need supplies. I have a weapons cache a few blocks away. We'll also need manpower. I have access to that as well. They'll be waiting for us at the cache."

"Cameron, will you call Kyle and Ellison and tell them to meet us? John Henry can give them our exact location once we've arrived."

As Cameron did as John asked, something occurred to him.

"I don't know your name."

She glanced briefly his way.

"It's Alex."

* * *

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, like you don't remember."

"Refresh my memory." Derek knew it was risky revealing his ignorance, but he needed to know what he had done to this guy.

"You. Your girlfriend. Fischer. An empty train car."

Derek waited for him to continue.

As he spoke, Fischer got up and walked to the table where various tools and torture devices lay. "Your girlfriend abducted me. She sat me down in front of this older man. I didn't know what I had done. I was sure they had the wrong man. She was yelling at the other man, asking him who he was. He kept insisting that he had already told her, that he had no idea what was going on. Then you and your girlfriend left. When you came back, you had a pair of pliers." When Fischer turned back around, Derek saw that he had a pair of pliers in his hand.

"You tore this fingernail off." He lifted his right pointer finger. "And even though I begged for you to stop, you continued. You explained that no matter how much you torture some people, they'll take it. It's like it was theirs all along, and you're just giving it back to them. And I wonder, Reese, if you're one of those guys."

With this, Fischer pulled the fingernail off of Derek's pointer finger and middle finger on his right hand.

Derek winced and struggled to break free, but not once did he scream.

"Huh. Looks like we're not as different as you thought we were."

* * *

Alex pointed to the right, guiding John on where to go. "Another couple of miles, then it'll be on the left."

"So your crew..." John said, trying to obtain more information from Alex.

"What about my crew?"

"Are they from the future?"

"No. I met Arturo through Enrique, then David through Arturo. You sent teams back, but more often than not, you sent people back alone."

"How many people did I send back?" John asked, surprised.

"I wouldn't know. You always kept that as secret as possible, for safety; both theirs and yours. But I have encountered a few people that I knew from back then, so I know that you've definitely sent more back."

"Why so many people? Especially if they're not here to help me directly?"

"I think that you wanted to give people a chance to live in this world, and subsequently a chance and motivation to keep this world. Many of the people that you sent back were younger, under the age of 30. Most of them had very little time in this world, many were born post-Judgment Day."

"So if your guys aren't from the future, how do you know you can trust them?"

"I don't."

The answer resembled that of which Sarah, and most likely John himself, would respond with, so John was satisfied with it. The truth is, you really couldn't trust anyone, even if it is a depressing and pessimistic point of view. Often, John found he couldn't even trust himself.

* * *

John pulled into the storage depot, sliding the passkey Alex had handed to him through to open the security gate.

From her position in the front passenger seat, Cameron had been silent the whole ride there. In fact, it occurred to John that she had been for the most part silent since they had left Zeira. He wondered if something was wrong, but didn't have much time to dwell on it, as Alex began guiding him to the specific storage unit.

He parked where she indicated, and they all got out of the truck. As they approached the door, John asked Alex, "Do they know about Skynet, about what you're working against?"

"They know bits and pieces. But no, they don't know about Skynet or terminators, and they don't know where I come from. But they're loyal, and they don't ask questions."

"Good."

Alex kicked the corner of the large roll-up door once and waited.

In mere moments, the door began to roll up, revealing two men in their early to mid-twenties. John noticed Cameron tense slightly out of the corner of his eye. He reached over and placed a hand on her lower back, meant to comfort her. He noticed that it worked a little, but he knew it wasn't noticeable to anyone but him. To everyone else, she would still appear hostile.

John and Cameron followed Alex into the room, after which one of the men proceeded to close the door behind them.

The room contained floor-to-ceiling cabinets, which John guessed housed much of the artillery. There were also a few trunks in the room. It wasn't as impressive as the stock at the safe house, but it was a close second.

Alex, still a woman of few words in spite of recent events, made quick introductions. "John, Cameron; Arturo, David.

Arturo was the man who had closed the door behind them, and he was obviously of Hispanic descent. David appeared to be slightly younger, and though John could tell he had some Hispanic blood in him, John also noticed that he came from several other ethnic backgrounds.

David stayed silent, obviously not the Alpha of the group. Arturo stepped forward, standing face-to-face with John.

"Who is he?"

Alex ignored his question.

"We're going on a rescue mission today. We know the location, all that's left is to do some recon. John? How do you want to do this?"

"Cam will be point on this. Actually, I would like to bring someone else in, but I'm not sure if it's possible. I'll have to make a call. Regardless, Kyle and Ellison, along with Arturo and David will be back-up. I stay with Cam." Before Cameron could object, John turned to her to explain. "I want to take these guys down myself. They've taken too much away from me. I want to take something away from them. Moreover, I want to look them in the eye, make them face up to what they've done. They need to know that they can't get away with this, with any of this."

Cameron nodded in acquiescence.

"Okay, then, stock up while I make this call."

While John took out his phone and turned around in an effort to obtain some semblance of privacy, Arturo made his lack of acquiescence known.

"So what? He's our new boss now? He's a kid!"

With a cold glare, Alex simply answered, "He's your boss because he is my boss. If you have a problem with that, you can leave."

Arturo, ego wounded, lashed out at the next available target.

"Then why is the girl point? She can't weigh more than 100 pounds. I guess if you bang the boss, you can be in whatever position you want."

Little did Arturo know, John had finished his phone call and heard his comment. In less than five seconds, he was splayed against one of the cabinets with John's hand at his throat.

"Cameron's point. I don't want to hear any more about it. And if you so much as look at her the wrong way, you'll be dead before you even know what's happening. Am I clear?"

Arturo nodded solemnly, still obviously annoyed at the change in leadership.

John wasn't sure why this guy had gotten to him so easily. Maybe he was just sick of everything, especially of having to defend Cameron to everyone. If only everyone would just fall in line, they might be able to get things together enough to defeat Skynet.

"It's a good idea, John," Cameron said as he joined her at one of the cabinets, this one filled with various machine guns.

"Thanks, Cam."

"What's a good idea?" Alex asked, having overhead Cameron's comment.

Cameron responded, "Catherine will be joining us."

* * *

John reached for Cameron's hand across the front seat of the truck as they observed the building before them. He couldn't remember the last time he and Cameron had spent any significant time alone. He knew it was probably as recent as yesterday, but it felt so long ago.

Catherine and Alex sat in the back seat, also observing the building.

Kyle had joined them at the storage depot, and John had instructed Arturo and David to join him in his truck. Catherine had met them once they had arrived at the location Alex had followed the Kaleba men to. John had sent Ellison to guard Dawes in Catherine's absence.

They had been staking out the building for a good 30 minutes, and so far, it had been uneventful. No one had exited or entered the building. Kyle, Arturo, and David were positioned towards the rear and had been instructed to inform him if they saw anyone, but so far there was no word.

It was then that John felt Cameron flinch. He straightened up in his seat. "What is it, Cam?"

"Mercer."

As soon as she answered, Mercer came into John's sight line. He had just exited the building, a terminator at his side.

John looked over his shoulder. "Catherine, I need you to take care of the terminator. Cam, make sure Mercer doesn't get away."

As the two terminators exited the truck, John dialed his phone.

"Kyle, I need you and David over here. Bring the truck, leave Arturo to continue watching the back."

John got out of the truck, his eyes on the scene across the street. Catherine had formed spears where her hands used to be, slicing the terminator to bits before he could realize what was happening. Mercer tried to run, but Cameron easily stopped him. She threw him to the ground, placing her foot on his chest, restricting any additional movement.

Kyle drove around the corner, pulling up next to them as John crossed the street, followed by Alex.

Mercer was yelling incoherent sentences, truly confused as to how this had happened.

"Kyle, David, take Mercer back to Zeira. Gag him. He doesn't need to be asking any questions, and you definitely don't need to be answering any of his questions."

Before they could follow through on John's orders, John gestured for them to halt. He reached down and pulled Mercer's passkey from his coat pocket.

"And now we have our way in."

* * *

Once inside the building, John instructed Alex to stay at the entrance and alert them of any threats. When they reached the "real" entrance (that is, the secure entrance), John assessed that the security system required the passkey as well as a fingerprint and ocular scan. He turned to his left.

"After you."

Catherine Weaver, who had taken on Mercer's form, stepped forward and proceeded to gain access to the building.

John breathed a sigh of relief when this part of the plan went off without a hitch. Obviously, they could have gotten in without the use of the passkey and the scans, but this way they had a better chance of entering undetected, which was always best in John's mind, no matter how many T-1001s he had with him.

They moved with purpose through the halls, waiting for either Cameron or Catherine to hear a sign of where Derek might be.

It was only a few minutes before both machines stopped in their tracks, which John knew to mean that they had found something, hopefully Derek.

Without hesitation, Cameron reached for the door closest to her and pulled it off its hinges. As John peered around her, he saw Derek sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, spotlighted by a large, bright lamp. He was beat up pretty badly. Cameron entered the room, checking for whomever had been keeping Derek there.

"He's gone. He got a call and bolted out that door back there." Derek barely got out the words before he just seemed to give up completely. John couldn't blame him. He had no reason to fight the exhaustion anymore.

John turned to Catherine, "Catherine, do you think you could take care of those chains?"

She silently obliged before she and Cameron carried Derek out. John went ahead of them to pull the truck up.

As the two machines loaded him into the vehicle, he breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to finally be able to save someone for a change.

* * *

Back at Zeira Corp, the doctors began working on Derek while John went to check on his mom. She was still knocked out from the morphine. Just as he was about to decrease the morphine to wake her up, he was interrupted by a Scottish voice.

"I wouldn't do that just yet, John."

He pulled his hand away and turned in alarm to Catherine. "Why not?"

"Because she'll wake up and be worried when she finds that you're gone."

"Where am I going?"

"I have something to show you."

* * *

A/N: I don't say it enough on here (more so on the Wiki forums), but thank you all for your great reviews and for your continued support!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: There are a couple of Joss Whedon references in this chapter, so kudos to anyone who can find them!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

For the second time that day, Sarah awakened from a deep sleep. However, this time she was not greeted by the anxious face of her son, but instead by the calm, soothing face of Kyle. In her stupor, she thought maybe she had gone crazy again. Or maybe she had never stopped being crazy. In all actuality, she probably was never sane. Maybe it was all a delusion, and she was still stuck in Pescadaro.

But no, she was not crazy. At least as far as she knew or ever could know. This time, Kyle really was here. And as she glanced around the room, she noticed that John was not.

"Weaver needed him for something," Kyle said, answering her thoughts.

Sarah found that she wished more than anything that this Kyle could be her Kyle. Even after all of these years, he was what she needed, who she had called upon for strength months ago when she'd been shot. Even if this Kyle had been exactly like her Kyle, it would never be the same. He wouldn't have remembered anything. Being John's father did not mean as much to this Kyle as it would her Kyle. Her Kyle knew who John Connor was, knew what that meant. And her Kyle would appreciate that John was a part of both of them.

But this was not her Kyle. And she realized that over the last week or so that she had been slowly losing Kyle again. She hadn't wanted to believe that this could be her Kyle, but she had subconsciously defied the orders she'd given herself. And every day, she realized more and more that no matter what happens with this Kyle, she will never get her Kyle back.

And as he smiled warmly at her, she thought maybe it wouldn't be that bad if she got this Kyle as a consolation.

* * *

"Welcome to The Ark," Catherine said.

"The Ark?" John questioned her.

"You are aware of the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark, are you not?"

John recalled the story, though he wasn't exactly sure how he'd heard of it. They'd never gone to church, and Sarah wasn't exactly the type to tell Bible stories. War stories, yes; myths and fables, sure; Bible stories, not so much. John always imagined that whether Sarah believed in God or not, she wanted nothing to do with him. It was hard enough dealing with the ramifications of Skynet and Judgment Day, but to believe that there was a God who could snap his fingers and achieve what Sarah had worked her whole life only to fail at would surely drive her insane.

"Yes, of course. Two by two, large boat, lots of rain, then a rainbow at the end."

"Don't forget that everyone not on that boat died. Everyone on Earth. Regardless, the point is, this is your ark John. I had hoped to have it completed sooner, but I had to ensure that everything was at its best possible working potential." The elevator doors opened, and Cameron and John followed Catherine in. She pressed the only button on the whole panel and the screen above it lit up and instructed her to prepare for the ocular scan. She did so and then stepped back, but the elevator did not move.

"For security reasons, every entity in the elevator must be cleared. You will each be required to press the button, which will take a scan of your fingerprint, and you must also complete the ocular scan. This way, if anyone is taken hostage, the assailant will be unable to infiltrate the building."

Once John and Cameron had undergone the scans, the elevator began to descend.

The first thing John saw when the elevator doors opened was nothing like what he had seen when he'd traveled to the future. This bunker resembled something closer to a day spa than that of the underground tunnels the Resistance was housed in. They entered a large circular room that contained various seating options. Around the room were access points to halls that presumably led to other areas of the bunker.

They followed her into the hall nearest to them on the right.

"This is the security wing. All surveillance will be done from here. At the end of this hallway, you'll see that it connects to another hallway which then connects to the other wings. I will go into further detail later on each of the wings, but for now we will focus on a more cursory tour of the facility."

It was impressive to say the least. The next wing housed the mess hall and kitchen. Adjacent to the kitchen was a large area used for short-term storage of food. Next to this wing was an area used primarily for additional short-term storage; however, this was used to store non-food items such as toiletries, medical supplies, etc. The fourth wing was the medical wing; the storage space from the previous wing was also accessible from this wing. The final wing (and therefore the first wing on the left when one first enters the facility) consisted of a large gymnasium for training and recreational use, as well as a work out room.

The outer area surrounding the five wings contained residential housing. There were a variety of residences. There were singles, doubles, and family suites. There was one bathroom per suite, with the exception of single suites; one bathroom for every two single suites. John couldn't help thinking about what Derek and Kyle would say about this. In the future, they lived in conditions where the bathrooms were man-made and there was no plumbing. And, of course, there was no lounge, work out room, or gymnasium.

Additional residences were located on the upper level, which was accessible by use of a large double-access staircase in the main foyer/lounge. Also located on the upper level was the Sit-Rep room; a large meeting room to be used for strategizing which resembled John Henry's room in the basement of Zeira Corp in that it contained various display screens and electronics.

The Sit-Rep room was located at the top of the stairs. After Catherine explained to John and Cameron (who was still eerily quiet, even more so than usual) in some detail what capabilities the room had, she led them to a room directly to the left. It was a large single suite with its own bathroom and a small kitchen, as well as a sitting area and a workspace with a large desk.

"Now, I know that you are not the type of leader that would feel comfortable receiving special treatment in regards to living conditions, but I hope that you'll accept this room for yours and Cameron's use. This room has a higher level of security." She indicated the small LCD screen next to the door. "You can access the surveillance cameras from here. The doors automatically close and lock once you've entered or exited the room. Also, only yourself or Cameron can access the room. Once I leave, the security system will reset and I will no longer have access. There is also an adjoining room in case you would like to keep your involvement with Cameron a secret." She pushed a button on the LCD screen and the left wall began to move as a previously unseen doorway opened up into the next room. "No one has to know that they conjoin."

"You've thought of everything Catherine."

"Of course I have. I'm built to consider all possibilities and prepare for them. But we are not finished yet, John. We still have two more levels to cover."

John's eyes widened slightly, but he maintained his composure enough to follow Catherine out of the room and downstairs to the elevator.

* * *

"Where did she take him?" Sarah finally asked, still not able to let herself trust Weaver.

"I don't know. She wouldn't say. But Cameron went with him, so he should be safe."

"No one's safe when it comes to a T-1001."

"Sarah, she could have killed any one of us by now, especially if she's as dangerous as you say she is. Why would she wait until now?"

"That's what John kept saying about Cameron, but then her chip was damaged and she tried to kill him. Did you know that?"

Kyle looked down at the bed and said quietly, "No, I didn't."

"On his sixteenth birthday. I sent her out for a cake," Kyle smirked a bit at the idea of a machine, even Cameron, choosing a cake, "but this guy we'd been working against had planted a car bomb. Some wires must have come loose because her programming changed."

"How did you fix her?"

"I'm not entirely sure we ever did. But she hasn't tried to kill him, so who knows? Anyway, John cleaned up the chip a bit once we'd managed to get it out, and before we could burn her, he put the chip back in."

"And you're worried that that wire could come loose again, or that this is part of some elaborate plan to stop the Resistance for good?"

"Yeah."

"Or maybe you're just scared of what John will become if he lets her in, if she becomes the center of his world."

Sarah was amazed at how this Kyle could read her thoughts and her emotions so well. She tried to remember if her Kyle was like that, but it had been so long ago.

"She's already the center of his world. She has been for awhile. Riley was a distraction from that fact, but I've known since the beginning that as soon as she entered our life, he was gone. He's always had a soft spot for reprogrammed terminators. It's definitely ironic, considering he leads the Resistance against their kind, but somehow he relates well to the terminators that are supposedly on our side."

Kyle thought about that for a moment before saying, "Maybe because that's the only consistency he's ever had in his life, they are the only things in the world that he's always known and has ever been able to be himself around, whether he was fighting against them or beside them."

And as much as Sarah wished that Kyle was wrong, she knew that he was right. And she knew then that she had been the one who ultimately held the blame for John's penchant for terminators, especially Cameron.

And she wasn't sure she could ever forgive herself for that.

* * *

"This is our self-sustaining level. It is where we house everything we need to remain off the grid and independent from any outside resources." This level was set up differently, more pragmatically. As they entered the first area, John was caught off guard by the sound of a cow mooing.

"This is where we will grow our own meat." John chuckled lightly at Catherine's use of the word "grow" in reference to animals, though he could see where she was coming from. They were being grown and housed purely to be used as a food sustenance.

Catherine ignored John's reaction and continued, "The lights above replicate the photosynthetic properties of the sun, which is of great use in this next area." They entered into a large open space consisting of green grass and various gardens. "The animals use this space to graze. The surrounding gardens grow a variety of vegetables and fruit, all of which are on an accelerated growth plan facilitated by a growth accelerant recently invented by some of my employees at Zeira Corporation."

Catherine wasn't kidding. The upstairs was just the beginning. In addition to the impressive food resources (which also included a slaughterhouse), the facility also had its own oxygen system which recycled the air. One recycling system could last for up to 100 years, and there were five systems. Additionally, the generators used to power the whole bunker were using a concealed nuclear power source similar to, but much more powerful than that of Cameron's and other terminators' and each generator would last hundreds of years. There were five of these as well. The bunker had its own water filtration system, so did not need an external source. This level also consisted of a large lab for the scientists to conduct their experiments, including, but not limited to, their studies of captured terminators.

The lowest level was used primarily for long-term storage, but also contained a very impressive artillery wing. The artillery wing included a soundproof shooting range. A large portion of the level housed the trash compactor. All trash and debris was sent to this compactor, which was actually more of a furnace. The compactor was kept sealed tight and had enough room to last hundreds of years, depending on how much trash piled up.

At the end of the tour, Catherine brought John and Cameron back up to the main level.

"So what do you think?"

"I think it's perfect. And a bit overwhelming."

"Thank you. Though you can lead this team and possibly win without the use of these facilities, I truly believe that now you will be able to prevail."

"One question, though, Catherine."

"Yes?"

"There are a lost of residences for it to be just the ten or so of us. Am I correct in assuming that it will be used as a bunker for if we are not able to stop Judgment Day?"

"Yes, you are correct, John, but not entirely." John looked at her quizzically. "I took the liberty of assembling the beginnings of a team for you consisting of military leaders and soldiers, medical personnel, scientists, and even a few cooks."

"You did?"

"Yes. Don't worry, they do not know where the facility is located. They were brought here in a tinted, soundproof vehicle."

"They were brought here? Does that mean that they are here now?"

She smiled slightly. "Yes. In fact, they are waiting for you in the Sit-Rep room right now."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This is just a short chapter to wrap up this episode. I've already begun work on the first part of Episode 7, so look for that in the coming week. Thanks everyone for your reviews and for your support!

A/N 2: I apologize in advance for having so many characters in this story. Don't worry, most of them will be tertiary characters.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

John's head was spinning.

"What? You have them waiting for me to give them some speech on the fly?"

Catherine had been walking away, leading him to the Sit-Rep room, but she paused now and turned back to John. "Tell them whatever you'd like to tell them, John. I haven't told them anything. They think they've been chosen for a special government task force. Black ops. I suggest you allow them to continue to believe this, otherwise we could be facing some trouble in the future. Other than that, you can tell them as little or as much as you want. If you want, you can just walk in there, introduce yourself, and walk right back out. I don't care. But this is your team John, and you need to take responsibility for them. Starting now."

"Hey! I didn't ask for this team!"

With a stone-cold face, Catherine replied, "No. You didn't. But this is what you need if you want to have any hope of stopping or at least significantly weakening Skynet. You can't do this alone."

"What makes you say that?"

"You haven't so far." And with that, she turned on her heels and continued towards the stairwell. She didn't glance back to see if John was following her, and John knew it was because she expected him to do so no matter what.

As much as he wanted to prove her wrong, he did follow her, Cameron in tow. But at the foot of the stairs, Cameron tugged a bit on his arm, causing him to stop. He looked at her expectantly.

"You can do this, John. I know you can. You know exactly what to say. You've been training all your life for this. You were born for this." Normally Cameron refrained from pointing any of this out, because she knew that it upset John, but she also knew that it was what he needed to hear right now, even if he didn't like it.

And he didn't like it. He hated being told what he was meant to be and what kind of person he would become. It made it difficult to live in the now. But now he needed to be that man, the one everyone spoke so highly of. So this time, he actually appreciated the reminder. With a renewed confidence, John took Cameron's hand in his and they began climbing the stairs anxious to see what lay behind the door at the top.

This was where it would all truly begin. They would finally bring the war to Skynet. And it scared John to death.

* * *

Before entering the room, Catherine quickly briefed John on what to expect. "This will be everyone. From Colonel to cook. I recommend releasing the staff as soon as you've introduced yourself, then brief the soldiers if you choose to do so."

John nodded solemnly before Catherine opened the door and entered. He released Cameron's hand, knowing that the sight could negatively affect the team's initial impression of him. If Cameron was hurt by this, she didn't show it. Not that he expected her to. Being a terminator, she would understand the practical and logical reasons for him doing so.

Catherine began introducing everyone in the room. Art Meyer, head of agriculture; Ally Tanen, head cook; Dr. Shelly Bennett and her P.A. Louis Nelson; and Serge Friesen, trainer; Cal Hogue, head of security. The next person to be introduced didn't need any introduction. Before Catherine could say anything, she heard John speak under his breath, "Bedell. Martin Bedell." No one else heard John, so Catherine simply stated Bedell's name and continued on. "Lieutenant James Luddow, and lastly, Colonel Paul Allen."

John barely registered the last two names. He was still shocked to see Bedell here. Of course, it would be nice to have a friendly face amongst all of these new ones, but the implications flooded his mind. Before he could get too deep in though, he was nudged by Cameron, bringing him back to the matter at hand. Since Catherine had finished her introductions of the team, everyone was waiting for him to speak.

He stepped forward. "And I'm John Connor, and this is Cameron Phillips. It's good to meet all of you. I hope to speak with each of you individually over the next few days. Until then, Mr. Meyer, Ms. Tanen, Dr. Bennett, and Mr. Nelson, you are excused. Once the four of them were gone, John's voice took on a slightly more serious tone. "What we will be doing here is important, I can assure you of that. But it will also be dangerous. Which explains all of the added security. You will face things you have never before faced. You will be tested to your limits. But if we do this right, we will save not only our country, but the world. Please familiarize yourselves with the facility. I will call you back here when I have more to report." Out of the corner of his eye, John caught sight of Colonel Allen, visibly angry. The Colonel was in his forties, as far as John could tell, and it occurred to John that he may have more difficulty following someone his age then some of the other men, who weren't much older than John himself.

John knew he had to squash that problem right away. "Colonel, I'd like for you to meet me in my personal quarters next door in 15 minutes."

Allen managed a curt nod before John and Cameron exited the room, leaving the team to themselves.

* * *

"Cameron, I don't know if I can do this." John had collapsed against the door of their room as soon as it had closed. "And don't tell me that I'm meant to do this, not this time. It's not enough right now. I need something concrete. In the future, I have more experience than this, I'm older when I form the Resistance. I'm not ready for this."

Cameron carefully took his face, which was bent down towards the ground, in her hands and lifted his head up so his eyes met hers. "Listen to me, John. You can do this. YOU can do this. I'm not talking about Future John, I'm talking about you. You were the only one who was able to see through Riley, the only one to find out what really happened to her. I couldn't even do that. It's not just because you're smart, it's because you care and you're intuitive. I learned a long time ago what makes John Connor John Connor. What makes you fit to lead us. To lead the human race. It's not just your training or your mind, it's your heart. You see the best in people and you see the worst and you act accordingly. You don't jump to conclusions and you think of the big picture. At the same time, you care about the smaller picture too. The people and moments that make up the larger picture. You remember to celebrate and you remember to love. You are not a general, you are a leader. They'll follow you, just like everyone else has followed you. You know what to do, you just have to believe that you can do it."

John didn't need to hear any more. In fact, he'd heard enough once she'd assured him that HE could do this. Everything else was just a bonus. He kissed her aggressively, taking her head in his hands, mirroring her own body. Up until now, he hadn't really let himself go when he was with her. He'd always had worries and insecurities in the back of his mind. But now he knew that he needed her. In that moment, he didn't care if it was all just an act on her end. It was an act he liked, an act he needed, and that was all that mattered to him.

But just like that, his hopes were dashed when Cameron pulled away. "John, we are expecting Colonel Allen in seven minutes and thirty-five seconds. And I think it would be wise for you to acclimate yourself before you have to stand before the team again."

John smirked. "This isn't over, you know."

She tilted her head to the side. "Was I not clear? I think it should be over." Before John could fully comprehend her meaning, Cameron said, "But we will continue this later."

His expression brightened with the clarification. "I'm going to hold you to that."

* * *

Across town, Charles Fischer was not pleased.

"How did they know where to find us?" he asked one of the men who had brought Derek to him.

"I-I don't know. We left his mother dying on the floor. That kept him from sending anyone after us."

"Well obviously someone found you and told him where to find Reese. You know better than to let anyone find you."

"I know. I promise, it won't happen again."

"No, it won't." Fischer shot the man in the head and turned to the large mirror on the wall. "I assume you will not make the same mistake as he did."

A moment later a tall, dark-haired man appeared from the adjacent room. He'd been watching through the double-sided mirror. He spoke in a British accent. "I assure you, Mr. Fischer, that with or without that charming little demonstration, I would never allow such a thing to happen."

Fischer nodded curtly. "Good. Because I have an assignment for you."

"You want me to find whoever did this?"

Fischer smirked appreciatively. "Already exceeding my expectations. I have high hopes for you. You'll have access to whatever information you deem necessary."

"Brilliant. I'll get right to it."

As the man began to exit the room, Fischer called back to him. "Oh, and Wexton? If you find John Connor, you kill him on sight, is that understood?"

"Of course, sir."

"Good."


End file.
